Frick was, let’s say, a controversial man, even in his time. He was a robber baron who made his money from steel.
Most famously (or perhaps, most infamously), Frick was known for his union-busting tactics and his involvement in the 1892 Homestead strike, which culminated in workers battling guards, who Frick had hired, leaving 10 men dead and 60 wounded. It’s a plot that might sound familiar to viewers of the second season of “The Gilded Age.”
This was followed by an assassination attempt on Frick’s life by anarchist Alexander Berkman. Frick survived, Berkman’s crime led to poor public perception of the union, and the strike was unsuccessful, leading to the union’s demise.
In 1905, Frick relocated from Pittsburgh to Manhattan’s Upper East Side. He commissioned his mansion, which was designed by Thomas Hastings and finished in 1914. The land and the mansion he built atop it cost $5 million, roughly $184 million today.
